A Lesson of Love

Chapter 2: Unhappy Reunion

Her feet prevent her from walking. The feeling of total shock coursing through her entire body immobilizes her. Her eyes must be deceiving her. Have to be. The sudden lump forming in her throat has her almost gasping for air.

This can't be.

Her functioning fails her this very moment. She's stuck in place. The seconds of silence seem to pass by in the slowest of motion. It's pin-drop silent.

And from the other side, a remarkably similar reaction is taking place.

Normani knew for certain that standing in front of her was perhaps a look-alike. Just a familiar face but not a familiar person.

But the senior realtor introduced her with a full name. A distinct name that would be just about impossible to mistake. A name of a woman she once knew. A woman who she never thought she'd ever see again. Yet, here she is. Standing before her.

She's never been flustered or absent of words until this very second.

The first reaction taken by any of the two women is a sigh. Coming from Normani, it isn't intentional but instinctive.

"Excuse me, am I missing something? You two know each other?" Teyonah chimes in.

It almost feels like a prank to Zuri. If it weren't for Teyonah not knowing about Zuri and Normani's history, Zuri would think this unexpected reunion was the reason Teyonah kept their client a secret.

"We went to the same college," Zuri answers, now looking at Teyonah.

The senior real estate agent processes this information with an intrigued nod before grinning. "Aw, this mini-reunion!" Her smile fades when she's met with awkward silence. Reading the room, her lips form an O. "Should we start?"

"That would be great," Normani replies with a polite smile.

As the property tour commences, Zuri is now relieved that she is only shadowing today. It means she doesn't have to worry about engaging with Normani.

Now this wasn't what Zuri originally had in mind, however. She'd wanted to be hands-on and as involved as possible. Her goal was to impress not only Teyonah but the client as well.

God, this is all the way off key, Zuri thinks. She settles for shaking her head instead of rubbing her temples. This gets Teyonah's attention. Being noticed by her supervisor makes Zuri straighten up and manage a smile.

"And here is the office space," Teyonah perks up again as they step into another room. "I remember you said a home office is on your list."

As Normani smiles and browses the room, Zuri secretly admires her appearance, noting that her beauty is still very much intact after ten years. The black sleeveless dress she wears compliments her slim-thick, athletic figure. Her hair is brilliantly black, and her deep brown skin begs to be touched. Her teeth are snow white and perfectly aligned making for a breathtaking smile.

Her smile was pretty in college, too.

You let that go? Zuri imagines one would ask her.

In a sense, the answer would technically be "no". They didn't have anything that would have Zuri let that go. Well, maybe...possibly. It's – very complicated to say the least. It's a deep-rooted and deep-seated, difficult, intricate, complex history that even thinking on it brings a sense of angst.

"Do you want to feel the house out for yourself?" Teyonah asks Normani.

"Yeah, I'm going to take some pics."

"Smart idea. You can compare them to the other houses."

Normani clicks her teeth slightly with a reassuring nod. "Exactly."